Drakland pen and paper RPG is on Kickstarter

Excellent question. I’ve talked about the land and lore, but not what this project really is. So here it is, in a nutshell.

There are many RPGs out there. This I know. From Palladium to Dungeons and Dragons, Players world wide have thousands of options to choose from. So what are we doing? Putting Drakland into the mix. I would love to write a source book for one of the big name companies that everyone knows and loves, but then Drakland is bound to THEIR rules, and THEIR examples. Drakland is, and always will be, my world to play with and share. I don’t want to sell the rights to a big name company such as Wizards of the Coast, or even White Wolf. I would gladly except Sponsorship, but only if I get to shape the world where I believe it should go.

That being said – I want to put the story of Drakland out there. It is one thing to write books, and that is great, but I want to give a story telling experience. One that can grow and evolve over the years. One that you can sit with your friends and forget about time until it is 5 in the morning and the last 2 players are fighting a Mountain Dew induced coma. A world that you can tell your friends later “Oh man, I should have done this instead of that!” and “I can’t wait until the next session, I have a plan to save that little town.” A world people can care about and love playing in.

The easiest way to do this is by building a system from ground up around it. The mythology is there – or at least, I’ve created that part – but from there, everything else costs money. Printing books, finding vendors, even selling on Amazon. The most money consuming parts, though, are publishing the books to sell at local comic shops. Marketing also costs a decent chunk of money. Currently, I hold a full-time job, but I would love to make book writing a full time job. With your help, I can make Drakland exist in more than just my imagination.

The first step is to create a Role Playing Game book – more a guide than rule sets. People love to read the lore in there, as well as make heroes – and villians – to place their own twists on the stories within. The plan (as of now, I want to expand it to more, but never less) is to create a short story based on the origins of Drakland, a Player’s Handbook and a Storyteller’s Guide (more a Dungeon Master manual sort of thing). Depending on the success of this kickstart (and everything afterward), I would love to expand on that as well. More stories (not just short stories, but full stories about the many heroes and deities of Drakland) and more source books – such as a monster hunter’s guide, a source book specifically for the Atlantis world, and more campaign settings for thos who want more stories set in Drakland.

The money from this kickstart will go toward the book. The biggest cost will be a freelance artist. Books are nice, but everyone wants to see pictures too. A book with just words is great for an afternoon of reading, but even they have cover art. And any good RPG has dozens of pictures, depicting the symbols described, the monsters people love or fear, and the many races of the world. Getting trademarks and copyrights for the many characters and races costs money as well, and publishing. Then there is the important part (what you came here for) – the rewards. Most rewards cost money, and are factored into the pricing of the rewards themselves.

Also, Kickstart is an amazing way to both get a fan base and see where your fan base lies.